Skanda Purana — Nagara Khanda, Shloka 1

Devanagari script

ऋषय ऊचुः त्वया सूतज तत्रस्थं याज्ञवल्क्यस्य कीर्तितम् । तीर्थं वररुचेश्चैव वैनायक्यं प्रविद्यते

Transliteration

ṛṣaya ūcuḥ tvayā sūtaja tatrasthaṃ yājñavalkyasya kīrtitam | tīrthaṃ vararuceścaiva vaināyakyaṃ pravidyate

Translation

Die Weisen sprachen: „O Sohn des Sūta, du hast das dort befindliche Tīrtha des Yājñavalkya geschildert; und auch das Tīrtha des Vararuci ist bekannt, ebenso das heilige Vaināyaka, das mit Gaṇapati verbunden ist.“

Word by Word

• ऋषयः: the sages
• ऋषयः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऋषि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन

• ऊचुः: said
• ऊचुः: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वच् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (Perfect), परस्मैपद, प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• त्वया: by you
• त्वया: Karana (Agent-instrument)
• Type: Noun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं/स्त्री (Pronoun), तृतीया (Instrumental/करण), एकवचन

• सूतज: O son of the Sūta
• सूतज: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सूतज (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन (Vocative), एकवचन; समासः—सूतस्य जः/ज (पुत्रः) (षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः)

• तत्रस्थम्: situated there
• तत्रस्थम्: Visheshana (Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: तत्र + स्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, एकवचन; अव्ययीभावः—तत्र स्थितम्

• याज्ञवल्क्यस्य: of Yājñavalkya
• याज्ञवल्क्यस्य: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: याज्ञवल्क्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• कीर्तितम्: has been described/mentioned
• कीर्तितम्: Karma/Predicate adjective
• Type: Adjective
• Root: कीर्तित (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक; कीर्त् धातोः क्त)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन; क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle)

• तीर्थम्: the sacred ford/pilgrimage place
• तीर्थम्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तीर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• वररुचेः: of Vararuci
• वररुचेः: Sambandha (Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वररुचि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी, एकवचन

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—समुच्चयबोधक (conjunction)

• एव: indeed
• एव: Emphasis particle
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय—अवधारण (particle: indeed/only)

• वैनायक्यम्: (the) Vaināyaka (related to Gaṇapati) [tīrtha]
• वैनायक्यम्: Karma/Topic (Object/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वैनायक्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचन

• प्रविद्यते: is known/understood
• प्रविद्यते: Kriya (Action/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: विद् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), आत्मनेपद, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive sense: ‘is known’)

Speaker

Ṛṣis (Sages)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Yājñavalkya-tīrtha; Vararuci-tīrtha; Vaināyaka (Gaṇapati) spot

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: Sūta (sūtaja)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: An assembly of sages seated in a forest hermitage questions Sūta; behind them a stylized map-like vista shows three markers: a riverbank tīrtha for Yājñavalkya, another for Vararuci, and a Gaṇapati shrine (Vaināyaka).

Characters & Entities

• Sūta
• Yājñavalkya
• Vararuci
• Vināyaka/Gaṇapati
• Tīrtha

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Pilgrimage tradition is preserved through inquiry and transmission—sages prompt the narrator to reveal fuller kṣetra-glories.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

The passage points to Yājñavalkya-tīrtha, Vararuci-tīrtha, and a Vaināyaka (Gaṇapati) sacred spot in the same region.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

None directly; it is a question framing further exposition about the tīrthas.